America The Divided: Everyone Knows We Have Problems But There Is Very Little Agreement On Solutions

A house divided against itself will surely fall. America is more divided today than it has been in decades, and the deep divisions that are tearing us apart continue to get even worse. In fact, a newly released Rasmussen Reports national survey discovered that 67 percent of voters believe that America is even more divided now than it was four years ago. We are angry, we are frustrated and we love to fight with one another, but none of this strife and discord is getting us anywhere. What most Americans can agree on is that we are facing tremendous problems as a nation. One average of recent polls found that only 26 percent of Americans believe that this country is heading in the right direction and 63.8 percent of Americans believe that this country is heading in the wrong direction.

Unfortunately, there is very little agreement on what the solutions to our problems are. That is where the division is. As a nation, we no longer have a shared set of values or principles that provides a foundation for our decisions. Everyone just kind of does whatever is right in their own eyes, and the result is chaos. At a minimum, the U.S. Constitution was supposed to bond all of us together, but it has become clear that very few of our lawless politicians have any respect for that document at this point. And the American people must not have too much respect left for the Constitution either, because they keep sending the very same politicians back to Washington over and over again. Unless a miracle happens, everyone is going to keep pulling in different directions, and that is going to continue ripping our country to shreds.

The issues that divide us are countless. The following are just a few examples...

I could go on and on with this list, but I think that you get the point.

If you pick just about any issue on that list, there are large numbers of Americans that want to take us one way and large numbers of Americans that want to take us exactly in the opposite direction. In many instances, both sides consider their opponents to be the epitome of evil.

Sadly, the fights that take place among those that are supposed to be on the same side are often even more disturbing. Some of the most bitter fighting that I have ever witnessed has been between people that should be working together. In fact, it often seems like a lot of people would rather fight others in their own "movement" than do something constructive.

And actually the establishment loves when we fight with one another. The more divided that we are, the easier we are to control.

I am often asked if I think that there is any hope for a political solution in this country.

I wish that I could be more optimistic when I answer, but as divided as this country is right now I see absolutely no hope for a political solution on the national level any time soon.

#10 An all-time high 42 percent of Americans identify themselves as Independents.

Clearly the American people are sick and tired of politics as usual.

But even if we voted out every single member of Congress, who would we replace them with?

That is where not having a shared set of values and principles comes into play.

Even if we could start from scratch, the new politicians that the American people would send to Congress would not suddenly look like the founding fathers.

That is because we no longer believe in the same values and principles that they did.

Instead, an entirely new Congress would probably end up looking very much like the old Congress did.

I wish that national unity was just as easy as saying something like this: "Come on guys - let's all just get together and agree to do what is right for the country."

That sounds really good, but what is right for the country?

In America today, there is very little agreement about what is right and wrong anymore.

And politically, it is hard enough to get a handful of people to agree on much of anything these days, much less the millions upon millions of people that would be required to form a viable political movement.

So no, I don't believe that there will be a political solution on the national level any time soon. The government that we have already reflects what is in the hearts of the American people.

Until we start seeing hearts change on a widespread basis, we are not going to see any significant change in Washington.

Don't know exactly where we are.. but this is where we are destined to go. So incapable and so debased of moral values we are basically incapable of self governance.

(From Spenglers decline of the West- 1918- 1922)

Autumn: Urban rise. High point of disciplined organizational strength.

Religion: Faith in the omnipotence of rationality. Cult of Nature. The height of mathematical thought. The last idealists. Theories of knowledge and logic.

Art: Fulfillment of high artistic potentials of culture- sculpture in Greece, contrapuntal music in the West. At the beginning of Autumn, art possesses complete freedom to manifest the Destiny-vision of a people through its particular perfected formal technique. However, the end of Autumn witnesses the exhaustion of the possibilities of that technique, leading to craft-art in imitation of the great style as well as artistic revolt.

Politics: Struggles between the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. Revolutions. Napoleonism.

Religion: Materialism: Cults of science, utility, and luck. Ethical-social ideals: philosophy without mathematics, skepticism. The last mathematical thinkers. Decline of abstract thinkers, and the rise of specialized academic philosophy. Spread of the last ideas.

Art: End of symbolic art. All art becomes meaningless subjects of fashion.

Politics: Democracy, meritocracy, plutocracy, followed by caesarism and bureaucracy.

"There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose." - Keynes

True. And there's no such thing as 'legalizing weed', there is only the absence of decrees which interfere with man's proper exercise of his natural rights. Remove the mental constructions and the truth shines clearly.

Four chan, spot on! My knee-jerk reaction/solution was a .375 H&H Magnum for both, the Elephant and the Ass. However, maybe just look at the list of things we're divided on, and compare it to the powers given to Gov. in the Constitution. I'm pretty sure that "Old Piece of Paper" would clear most of the list, as Fed Gov has no business in most of it.

The MSM (from Noonan to Brooks to a panting Krugman) and the "movers & shakers" (from Buffet to Zuckerman) thought this fucking fraud of a humanitarian, this Nobel Peace Prize winner, this "man" who has presided over more people being in poverty than any other in modern times, who has never held down a real job in his entire life, who prefers to use a "pen & a phone" over gathering facts to present a case, who has watched as "the rich get richer" (even with his pen & phone close to hand), who has done the exact opposite of his promises...they can live with it and all the carnage.

You get me wrong, I want him to accelerate the debt (he's doubled it so far). We already paid for the ticket. We might as well enjoy the ride down the other side so our kids kids don't have to pay for the same ride.

gov't is the problem--power corrupts and gov't is corrupt--from the peaks of power in the executive branch, to the halls of congress, to the local chief of police to the little old lady that sits at the desk by the intrance of the building permit office--all are enablers of corruption--they support the system of corruption.

Any steps toward an abundance based resource economy rather than scarcity based profit model. Replacing human labor becomes desirable. Growth loses it's vital cog status. Rather than being INVERSE to economic growth, balance and sustainability are rewarded.

Starve the beast via Tax avoidance. Independence. Personal Responsibility. Its got to start at the bottom. Don't rely on "experts"-think for yourself. Learn how to solve problems. We've been evolving to this debt based social welfare state since 1913. It won't reverse itself overnight.

Tracing the problem back to 1913 we see the establishment of a central bank with a monopoly on interest rates and debt based money and the concomitant establishment of the income tax followed rapidly by WWI, WWII etc., all financed by debt as the root of the devolution. Then all the dependency inducing, character destroying welfare programs by FDR, LBJ etc, all financed via debt. It takes a lifetime to destroy a culture and likely several to restore it. (See Rome for an example)

For Christ's sake! Do not pretend that by spouting some pseudo-libertarian bullshit that you are an economic intellectual. And certainly do not deem yourself arrogant enough to have solved the chicken or the egg question. Point of fact, had you actually been forced to live in the economic environment you advocate in your shit post, you would end up living like a dog.

We have a lot of economic issues to sort out starting with how we make sure that never again will $23 trillion in private debt be dumped on our sovereign balance sheet. Spouting off some bullshit about how great things were in 1912, 1879 or 1634 doesn't help.

The solution is simple, but few can see. Simply do away with the 16th and 17th amendments, and return to the feds taxing the States, as per the Constitution. The money-go-round will come to a screeching halt.

Eliminate any/all insurance/pharmaceutical advertising. If it is required by law or a Doctor has to prescribe it why should we pay for the advertising? Immoral, unethical, and a conflict of interest.

Get the State OUT of intimate unions, period. If you want to get "married" have your church do it. Eliminate any and all insurance and tax definitions of "marriage". Assign legal ramifications using public notary. I don't understand why homosexuals nor heterosexuals let the State determine their relationship; none of their fucking business.

Close any and all U.S. military bases not on U.S. soil and do not engage in "foreign entanglements".

Enforce the laws of citizenship and immigration. If you want to be here, apply for citizenship and stay. No Visa's, no free passes, no amnesty; come here, pledge allegiance, stay.

Eliminate the I.R.S. and the income tax; establish a flat tax.

Restore the Gold standard for the currency.

Tariffs of foreign imports so there is some reason to make and grow stuff in the U.S. versus off-shoring: production, employees, profits, taxes, ability to make stuff in case of war.

Jail financial criminals and bring back public hangings of traitors. The financial collapse of 2008 was engineered by traitors. Hang them.

You know, this was all in the Constitution and Bill of Rights - but we somehow gummed it up with marshmallows, chewing gum, cotton candy, mule piss, cow dung, burritos, Siracha, cider vinegar, dead insects, offal, and a stunning lack of common sense and doing the right thing.

Do not fear; the apathy party is growing by leaps and bounds daily. No matter how right you think you are I can assure you, they do not give a shit and would rather watch you burn alive than spare two squirts of piss to put you out. The Right, the Left, and now the "I just do not give a fuck, about your stupid shit." Once enough people refuse to care, society eats itself.

Thats not true. The apathetic are finding it increasingly difficult to remain apathetic, insulated in their subsistence means, so they protest more loudly as thy are stripped of their ability to not give a fuck and stay on the sidelines.

Isn't the essence of a nation shared values? As peoples and families move to where the majority share their values my guess is it breaks up when the currency blows up. And not necessaritly into 2 - more like 5 or so regions.

Decentralize everything back to the states... most of the problems we have arise from democratic states being able to control the fed with the most amount of electoral votes. Allow the states equal footing with the Fed and let them all do 90% of what the fed does today or none of it.

Blue states would be blue and Red would be Red... what's wrong with that? What's wrong with letting like minded states stay that way? How many battleground states are really out there? I think the problem is the fed tries a one size fits all approach to all 50 states and then the division is created among the people for views other people have on the opposite end of the fucking country!

Those that believe there are political solutions to our dilemmas are fanciful. Our problems are moral and spiritual. Want to revive the country? We need a spiritual revival.

God is removing His protection to make us realize how much we have been blessed. Satan is only too happy to make himself felt in the destructive manner he does so well.

And yes, to those who don't like religion, tell me, what political solution can fix the issues of abortion, out-of-wedlock birth, divorce, disintegration of the family/family values, marriage and lack of morality? And are not these at the heart of our problems?

God will send another message soon enough. Embrace Him or embrace your demise.

I think you missed all the ramifications of the government getting the fuck out of individuals' lives. These ills you all list are enhanced, entrenched, and made the norm by the actions of the government.

These ills you all list are enhanced, entrenched, and made the norm by the actions of the government.

Of course, I get that. But the government does these things because people want them done, however irrational that seems. If the majority of people did not want these freebies and other things, then the government would not do them. The government primarily reacts to the desires of the people, with a significant lag time. Then once government grows so big (like now), it starts to do things on its own, for its own self interest.

If the government at all levels was reduced by 75% tomorrow, which of the cultural ills would be solved? It would take generations for this to happen.

The large, intrusive government is the result of a people who are seeking answers from this world, and the answers the government provides leads ultimately to the society's destruction (excessive debt and overreach).

The government is simply too large and there are too many people invested in the status quo for it to be reduced voluntarily or orderly through the political process. A crash and chaos or God, you pick em.

'Americans' have always been divided. They also agree on the solution to apply to hide their division. But the solution they are used to is turning less and less available.

'Americans' have always hidden their division by agreeing on ganging up on a third party to loot it and redistribute the wealth among themselves.
They've always been using a third party as a buffer between themselves and themselves.

Finding that third party is crucial for the 'american' way to endure. Trouble is that Indians are scarce these days, and the best fitting subject as a third party is nobody but themselves.

Tensions are to increase, 'americans' are divided as they have always been, they still agree on the line of solutions to apply but they run out of convenient targets to power their 'american' way of doing things.
That's being forced to apply their 'american' solution to themselves that make them tense.

I think you've identified the source of the division. While everyone is dissatisfied with the Federal government, they are divided on the reason. One group thinks the Feds take too much, and the other thinks the Feds give too little. This is a struggle that can never end.

lack of simple justice, that is what is the nut...logic reason out the window when dealing with a criminal system..the one simple answer is right in front of us..this sick corrupt crony tyranny of bought off judges and cops and pols..get them hung get them out of office..and maybe all your other ideas have merit.

The large number of government programs that have failed to carry out their duties and the dim view many Americans have towards Washington may be starting to take its toll on those who think big government is the answer.

The Democratic Party has long been thought of as the party of "big government" filled with believers that government can solve and is the answer to curing many of our woes. Sadly cost and reality are quickly beginning to show the flaws in this theory, government is far better at providing access of citizens and good at passing popular laws, but the private sector tends to be more efficient and better at controlling costs.More on the flaws of big government in the article below.

Today a big topic is the huge growth in inequality. Those who look closely understand that it is not the 1% at the top stealing the icing off the cake, but the much smaller .1% or .01% that are skewing the numbers and overreaching.

I contend the biggest problem is the massive growth in crony capitalism and corruption in Washington. Much of this can be attributed to theability of those in control "changing the rules" and positioning themselves to benefit at every corner. In our busy and complex world we have found it impossible to watch all the moving parts. More on this subject in the article below.

The solution is plain. Now that AmeriKKKa is truly a banana republic let's act like one. We need a military coup in which the President, VP and cabinet along with all 535 members of Congress are executed for treason. This would be a national day of liberation which could be celebrated forever. The military is the only functioning institution left in the USSA.

No The problem is that our Constitutional Republic has quit obeying the rules that WE THE PEOPLE consented to. If the agreement were obeyed as originally understood, the governments power would be limited and the individual rights of her citizens would still be protected.

As it is, 1/2 of the population is willing to use the power of government to enslave the other half for citizen snacks - and therefore rejects the very notion of individual rights, limited government, or rule of law.

We don't have agreement about right and wrong, because one side is still advocating ( as it always has) that other people are property - to be used, abused as needed as determined by the "common good" ( which is always uncommonly good for the Pigs that move into the Farmhouse.)

You can't have an agreement about "right and wrong" with people whose only political motive is "I want" and whose only principle is the use of force to get it. You can't make an agreement with people who see others as property - as furniture - because you don't feel bad if you promise a Kitchen Table something and then change your mind later. No, the kitchen table obeys because you know how to take care of your "things" and keep them nice.

"“They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden. That is their argument, and this argument of the Judge is the same old serpent that says you work and I eat, you toil and I will enjoy the fruits of it. .”- Abraham Lincoln – LincolnDouglas Debates.

Only the left wants to enslave the "productive" this time - and this will play out just like it did last time, because you can't have a political solution with people who act in bad faith and who see "live and let live" as a philosphy that unfairly imposes upon them - because they no longer have a right to tell you how to live, what to beleive and value and to give them the stuff you worked for ( and they didn't) . Civil War is simply inevitable now.

remember: obuma's hope he would be another lincoln...well he might just be the boy for it, civil war and may the south win this time, only it will be the south freeing the slaves of progressivism and corrupt DC. IRS was never a smigin of corruption sayith the queer golfing mulatto..after a long day of raising donations er bribes..

The author nailed it America no longer has a common set of values and beliefs to unite it. Everyone "doing what is right in their own eyes" is not a platform that can unite. Take a divisive issue like abortion. You can't get someone who believes you are killing a human being to be ok with it just like you can't get a pro-choice person to abide by someone else telling them what to do with their body. Our Constitution was written for a populace that had a certain moral and ethical stance and doesn't work well when no holds barred ensues. There is nowhere to go but further division, power grabs and tyranny by the majority because in the end humans are corrupt by nature and will exploit for their own self gain.

Money is the root problem for Americans that are divided. The most serious issue that divides Americans is the disparity between the rich and poor. Greed 'is good' philosophy of Ayn Rand/Alan Greenspan has

led to the complete destruction of the USA in less than half a century.

The 1%ers have removed themselves from the commons and are not really part of the debate anymore. Plato once said that no man is worth more than three times another man but America is no a believer in our common ideology as they have their own ideology that they choose

to adhere to. Greed alone has divided America along lines of haves and have nots. The 'have nots' have no choice but to fight for their

paltry existence and the 1%ers have been indoctrinated to view those with less as being less worthy of living. Common people are

to be viewed as victims of Capitalism if they cannot survive inflation or hyperinflation. Capitalists can survive as long as they are willing to victimize those with less money, political power, influence, et cetera. These disparities have existed for centuries and will exist

until these systems of disparity are overthrown by the masses that have been disenfranchised. Millions of Americans are now in dire straights and cannot afford the rising costs of living due to the excessive Liberal largesse that the ruling classes have instituted

to keep the 99% down. Violent revolution is the only solution to

redistribute the wealth transfer that has occured over time. Until the rich are no more than three times 'richer' than the average American there will be no marked improvement in life for Americans en masse. The problems are felt by all Americans except the 1%ers.

The solutions are found with the majority of Americans who are presently being dosenfranchised by the 1%ers. Equality of opportunity exists for the average American but the ruling classes do not want you to know that or act on it. Articles like this spell defeat for Americans en masse and do not offer solutions whatsoever because the ruling classes don't want solutions to the problems the 99% face. The ruling classes want solutions to their problems and not those of the 99%. When articles start to appear that offer solutions to these problems gains for society will certainly be made. Until that time manifests be prepared to fight to survive.

The abortion issue was/is just a diversion, a sell out by the GOP, let's talk about an intractable religious issue so we don't have to address the economy, foreign relations, growth of government, sound money, etc. etc.